


Just Add Water

by idkspookystuff



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe-The Little Mermaid, Angst, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Pining, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 08:58:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5369411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idkspookystuff/pseuds/idkspookystuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The rebellious teenage mermaid Dan is fascinated with life on land. On one of his visits to the surface, which are forbidden by his controlling father, King Howell, he falls for a human prince, Phil Lester. Determined to be with his new love, Dan makes a dangerous deal with the sea witch Nash Grier to become human for three days. But when plans go awry for the star-crossed lovers, the king must make the ultimate sacrifice for his son.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Add Water

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dancingwithstarlightatmidnight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancingwithstarlightatmidnight/gifts).



> I'm so excited to be posting my work for the Phandom Christmas Fic Exchange, hosted by myself. I've been working on this fic for so long and I fell in love with the idea as soon as I read it. I hope that you all love my fic! (It's based off of the original script, so if some elements seem familiar, that's why!)  
> Follow my [tumblr](http://theaterkidlester.tumblr.com/) for more fics like this and to be updated about more fic exchanges in the future  
> Enjoy!  
> Sebastian

Phil Lester took a deep breath of the salty ocean air that morning. His best friend, Chris Kendall stood behind him, hunched over the side of the giant ship. Phil ran his hands down his jacket, smiling as he took in the few. With a crew working behind him, beside him, how could he ever be happier?

“Isn’t this great?” Phil asked, turning back to Chris. “The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face,” he cut himself off with a happy sigh, leaning next to Chris on the handrails, “it’s a perfect day to be at sea!”

“Oh yes,” Chris said with an eyeroll. “Delightful.”

One of the sailors walked over to Phil was a happy smile. Phil loved his crew. They were always just as energetic as he was when it came to the sea. “A fine strong wind and a following sea,” Phil hummed in agreement. “King Howell must be in a friendly-type mood.”

“King Howell?” Phil asked, an inquisitive smile on his face.

Another one of the sailors laughed softly behind the pair. Phil stepped to the side to let him into what had become a small circle. “Why, ruler of the merpeople, lad.” He chuckled again. “Thought every good sailor knew about him.”

“Merpeople!” Chris repeated with a disbelieving chuckle. “Phil, pay no attention to this nautical nonsense.”

“But it ain't nonsense, it's the truth!” The sailor insisted. Chris scoffed and turned back to the ocean. Phil gave the man a small smile. “I'm tellin' you, down in the depths of the ocean they live.” He pointed down to the sea, and Phil looked over the edge. For a moment, just a moment, he allowed himself to believe in the tale his parents used to tell him as a young child. Mermaids. Imagine that.

Meanwhile, the entire people of Atlantica were gathered, excitingly waiting for the celebration of the life of their deceased queen to begin. There was a small chatter in the large music hall, the sound of laughter and conversation bouncing off the walls. Suddenly, an overpoweringly loud fanfare sounded through the room, and a quiet fell over the people. “Ahem,” An announcer called to silence the crowd upon his arrival on stage. “His royal highness, King Howell!” An older man entered to the sound of a roaring applause. “And presenting the distinguished court composer, PJ Liguori!” The applause died down as the twenty-something year old entered. He gave a small, shy wave.

“I'm really looking forward to this performance, PJ,” the king said politely, giving the conductor a small smile.

“Oh, Your Majesty,” PJ flushed under the attention. “This will be the finest concert I have ever conducted. Your daughters, and especially your son, they will be spectacular!” He assured the king.

The king’s face lit up at the mention of his beloved children. “Yes, and especially my little Daniel.” Dan was the pride and joy of the king’s life, and everyone in the kingdom knew it.

“Yes, yes, he has the most beautiful voice.” PJ rolled his eyes as the king turned back to the audience with a smile the size of the entire ocean floor. “If only she'd show up for rehearsals once in awhile,” he muttered under his breath.

The king stepped to the side as PJ started to conduct an orchestra. The curtain rose to reveal seven beautiful mermaids, each dressed in gorgeous gowns. They started to sing, “Ah, we are the daughters of Howell. Great father who loves us and named us well: Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, Allana. And then there is the youngest in his musical debut, our seventh little brother, we're presenting him to you, to sing a song that PJ wrote, his voice is like a bell, he's our brother, D-an-i-” they stepped to the side to reveal no one standing where Dan was supposed to be. There was a gasp and then a quiet spread throughout the audience.

“Daniel!” The king yelled angrily.

Meanwhile, Dan was swimming quickly towards a sunken ship. From a distance, his best friend Tyler called out, “Dan! Wait for me.”

Dan rolled his eyes as he momentarily stopped, turning to glare at his friend. “Ty, hurry up!”

Tyler caught up with him. “You know I can’t swim that fast,” he reprimanded the younger boy. Dan rolled his eyes again before going back towards the ship, Tyler right on his tail.

“There it is,” Dan said once they had reached the ship. He reached out and touched it, marveling at the wood. “Isn’t it fantastic?”

“Yeah,” Tyler said slowly, looking at Dan weirdly. “Sure. It’s,” he looked around anxiously. “It’s great.” He pulled on Dan’s arm. “Now let’s get outta here!”

Dan put a hand on his hip as he looked back at his friend. “You’re not getting cold fins now, are you?” He asked disapprovingly.

“Who me?” Tyler asked, his voice higher than usual. Dan nodded. “No way. It's just, it-” he looked around as if looking for a way to get out of going in. “it looks-” he paused as he looked into the ship, “damp in there.” He nodded. “Yeah. And I think I may be coming down with something.” When Dan raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief, he continued. “Yeah, I got this cough?” He gave an obviously fake cough as if to prove a point.

Dan rolled his eyes. “All right. I'm going inside. You can just stay here and-” He smirked at his friend. “Watch for sharks.” With that, he quickly swam into the ship.

“Okay!” Tyler called after him. “Yeah, you go. I’ll stay and-” suddenly, as if Dan’s words had just sunk in, he gasped. “What? Sharks? Dan!” He quickly swam through a porthole, getting stuck part way through. He tried to struggle through for a minute before huffing. “Dan!” He yelled. “I can’t-” he cut himself off as he tried even harder to get through. “I mean-” he huffed again. “Dan! Help!”

Dan laughed and rolled his eyes fondly. “Oh Tyler,” he said, taking in the sight of his best friend stuck in a porthole.

“Dan, do you really think there might be-” Tyler cut himself off as he looked anxiously around. He lowered his voice as if the enemy might hear him. “-sharks around here?”

Dan scoffed, completely missing the shark that passed just outside the ship. “Tyler, don’t be such a guppy.”

“I’m not guppy,” Tyler said softly. Dan rolled his eyes as he pulled his best friend through the porthole. “This is great. I mean, I really love this.” Tyler started as he swam around the room. Dan hummed in agreement, not paying attention to his friend as he looked through a pile. “Excitement,” he continued, walking backwards, “adventure, danger lurking around every corn-” just as Tyler said this, he bumped into a stack, a skull falling onto his head. He screamed loudly, a shrill sound. “Dan!”

“Oh my god!” Dan exclaimed, quickly looking Tyler over. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Tyler replied, getting up off the ground. He sighed. “No problem. I’m oka-”

Dan cut him off with a gasp as he spotted something. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” He proclaimed as he swam over to the object. He proudly held up a fork. “Have you ever seen anything so wonderful in your entire life?”

Tyler swam over to him and took the fork. “Wow! Cool!” He looked it over before looking back at Dan. “What is it?”

Dan put a hand on his hip as he tried to think of a reply. “I don’t know.” He answered. Suddenly, an entire brightened his face. “But I bet Zoe will!”

Just as Dan was putting the fork in his bag, a shark swam by outside and bumped the ship, causing a small banging sound. “What was that?” Tyler asked quickly, looking around for the source of the noise. “Did you hear something?”

Dan paid him no mind as he picked up a pipe. “Hm. Wonder what this one is,” he mumbled to himself, twisting the object around in his hands.

“Dan,” Tyler said in warning.

Dan rolled his eyes as he turned to his best friend. “Tyler, will you relax?” He asked. He put his bag on a hanger. “Nothing is going to happen.” Dan stepped in front of a window, completely oblivious to the shark that swam behind him. Tyler’s eyes grew wide.

“Shark!” He screamed before swimming in a circle. “Run! Run! We’re all going to die!” The shark broke threw the ship and started to chase them. Both Dan and Tyler took off towards the surface, making good time against the shark. They had almost escaped when Dan remembered his bag. He started off towards it, back towards the shark. “Dan! What are you-” but Dan was too far out of earshot to hear him. Tyler sighed before swimming after him. Dan swam through the porthole, almost getting caught by the shark. Tyler swam after him, the shark right on his heel. The shark almost caught him, the latter’s head getting caught in the hole. He struggled to get free but could not. “Ha, you big bully!” Tyler teased. The shark snapped and he screamed, swimming away.

Dan laughed as Tyler caught up with him. “You really are a guppy,” he said, laughing harder at his best friend’s pout.

“Am not,” Tyler said softly, glaring at Dan.

By the time they had reached the surface, the sun was high in the sky. Zoe was sitting on an island, looking through a telescope. “Zoe!” Dan yelled.

Zoe, who had the telescope turned the wrong way, shouted, “Whoa! Mermaid off the port bow! Dan, how you doin' kid?” She lowered the telescope and jumped as Dan was right in front of her. “Woah, what a swim!”

“Zoe,” Dan said again as he leaned onto the island. “Look what we found.” He held up the fork for inspection and Zoe quickly took it, holding it close to her face.

“Yeah,” Tyler said once he had caught up with Dan. “We were in this sunken ship.” He gave an idiotic laugh. “It was really creepy.” Dan rolled his eyes at his friend’s immaturity.

“Human stuff, ey?” Zoe asked. “Lemme see,” she added softly, holding the fork close to her face. She twirled it to the other side and tsked. “Wow,” she said, a soft shake of her head. “This is special. This is very,” she searched for a word. “Very unusual.”

“What?” Dan asked excitedly. Tyler matched his curiosity, swimming closer to the island so as to get a better look. “What is it?”

“It’s-” Zoe started, holding the fork to the air triumphantly, “-a dinglehopper.” Tyler and Dan both gasped. “Humans use these little babies to-” her pause went unnoticed by the boys, “-straighten their hair out.” She nodded. “You see, just a twirl here,” she tangled it in Dan’s hair as an example, “-an’ a yank there-” she pulled harshly, the mermaid letting out a soft whimper of pain, “-and voiolay!” She nodded in appreciation of Dan’s hair. “You got an aesthetically pleasing configuration of hair that humans go nuts over!”

“A dinglehopper!” Dan repeated reverently, touching his hair as if it had somehow transformed on his head.

Tyler swam over to Zoe’s collection of things and pulled out a pipe. “What about this one?”

Zoe took the pipe from him and nodded. “Ah,” she nodded again, “this I haven't seen in years.” She nodded again as if that made her seem more serious. The two boys in the water nodded along with her. “This is wonderful! A banded, bulbous-” she paused, either for dramatic effect or lack of knowledge, “snarfblat.”

“Ooo,” Dan and Tyler whispered in reverence.

Zoe nodded as she held the pipe in front of the two of them for inspection. “Now, the snarfblat dates back to prehistorical times, when humans used to sit around, and stare at each other all day.” Dan rolled his eyes in appreciation of how boring that would be. Tyler’s facial expression remained unchanged. “Got very boring.” Dan and Tyler nodded in unision. “And so!” Zoe called, “they invented the snarfblat to make fine music.” She cleared her throat, “Allow me.”

Dan and Tyler watched as Zoe held the pipe to her lips, and with a loud inhale blew into the pipe. However, all that came out was a piece of seaweed.

Dan’s face turned to one of confusion. “Music?” he asked if though trying to remember. Suddenly, realization spread throughout his face. “Oh, the concert!” He gasped. “Oh my god, my father's gonna kill me!”

Tyler tilted his head to the side. “The concert was today?”

Zoe, who hadn’t been paying attention, turned the pipe onto its side. “Maybe you could make a little planter out of it or somethin',” she muttered as she turned it again.

Dan took a deep breath. “Uh, I'm sorry, I've gotta go,” he tugged Tyler’s arm to get his attention. “Thank you, Zoe!” He called as he turned to swim away.

“Anytime, sugar!” Zoe called, still turning the pipe. “Anytime.”

Meanwhile, in the far corners of the sea, where no merman dare swim, Nash Grier sat watching the whole thing go down in his crystal ball. He rubbed his hands together evilly. “Yes,” he held out the s for longer than was necessary. “Hurry home, prince. We wouldn't want to miss old daddy's celebration, now, would we?” He scoffed in reference to the king’s celebration. “Celebration indeed. In my day, we had fantastical feasts when I lived in the palace.” He sighed as he looked away from the ball. “And now, look at me,” he turned and looked at himself in the mirror. “Wasted away to practically nothing. Banished and exiled and practically starving, while he and his flimsy fish-folk celebrate.”

Nash chuckled as he turned back to the crystal ball where Dan was quickly approaching his father’s kingdom. “Well, I'll give 'em something to celebrate soon enough.” He groaned and turned to look behind him. “Austin! Aaron!” He chuckled as the twins approached him. “I want you to keep an extra close watch on this son of his. He may be the key to Howell's undoing.”

Dan cowered under his father’s fury. “I just don't know what we're going to do with you, young man.” PJ, who was pacing next to the king, let out an exhale of breath as if he may have a few ideas of his own.

“Father,” Dan pleaded. “I'm sorry, I just forgot, I -”

The king cut him off by holding up his hand. “As a result of your careless behaviour-”

“Careless and reckless behaviour!” PJ cut off, his voice higher by an octave. Dan offhandedly wondered if that’s how he came up with soprano harmonies.

“- the entire celebration was-”

“Well, it was ruined!” PJ yelled. Tyler flinched at the sudden noise from the conductor. The king turned to him slowly, as if he was afraid PJ would spontaneously combust. “That's all.” He laughed manically. “Completely destroyed! This concert was to be the pinnacle of my distinguished career. Now thanks to you,” he pointed an accusing finger at Dan, “I am the laughing stock of the entire kingdom!”

“But it wasn't his fault!” Tyler filled in. He blushed under the sudden attention of the group. “Ah,” he started,  “well,” he looked at Dan for assistance. “First this shark chased us,” he nodded at Dan in rapid succession. “Yeah yeah!” He nodded again. “And we tried to,” a pause. “but we couldn't,” another pause. “And,” Tyler then paused for a minute to make a series of growls and low screams to signify the events. “Oh, and then we were safe. But then this seagull came,” Tyler either didn’t notice Dan’s attempts to get him to stop, or didn’t care. “and it was this is this, and that is that, and-”

“Seagull? What?” The king cut off. He looked to Dan slowly. The boy blushed under the interrogation. Realization dawned on the king’s face. “You went up to the surface again, didn't you?” When Dan didn’t answer, he asked a little louder, “Didn’t you?”

“Nothing happened?” Dan tried.

“Oh Daniel, how many times must we go through this?” Dan dropped his head to the floor in shame. “You could've been seen by one of those barbarians,” the king paused to scoff, “by one of those humans!”

Dan gasped quickly. “Father, they're not barbarians!”

“They're dangerous.” The king explained calmly. “Do you think I want to see my youngest child snared by some fish-eater's hook?”

King Howell attempted to reach forward and touch Dan’s face comfortingly, but the mermaid backed up before he had the chance. “I'm sixteen years old,” He rationed, “I'm not a child anymore!”

“Don't you take that tone of voice with me young man,” the king said, his voice raised. Both Tyler and PJ recoiled at his voice. Dan was not affected. “As long as you live under my ocean, you'll obey my rules!”

“But if you would just listen!” Dan pleaded.

“Not another word,” King Howell interjected. Dan felt his cheeks burn and his eyes fill with water at his father’s tone and at his words. “and I am never,” he paused for emphasis, “never to hear of you going to the surface again. Is that clear?”

Dan felt his eyes betray him as tears started to spill down his cheeks. He quickly swam away from his father, Tyler following close behind his best friend.

The king sighed gently as he watched his son leave. PJ just shook his head. “Hm!” He proclaimed. “Teenagers! They think they know everything.” He barely noticed the king not paying attention. “You give them an inch, they swim all over you.”

The king sighed again before turning to PJ. “Do you,” he scratched his head as he paused. “Do you think I was too hard on him?”

PJ shook his head quickly. “Definitely not,” he said. “Why, if Daniel was my son, I'd show him who was boss,” he smiled and nodded as if the memory could come to him often after much recollection “None of this ‘flitting to the surface’ and other such nonsense.” PJ scoffed. “No, sir, I'd keep him under tight control.”

The king nodded as he turned to where Dan had been only moments before. “You're absolutely right, PJ.”

“Of course,” PJ said. This information did not surprise him, for he found himself being right more times than not.

“Daniel needs constant supervision.”

“Constant.”

“Someone to watch over him. To keep him out of trouble.”

“All the time-”

The king cut in before PJ could finish his sentence. “And you are just the man to do that!”

PJ’s eyes grew wide as the information sunk in. However, the king was already walking away, presumably to do something important. PJ sighed, certain that he wouldn’t be able to talk the king out of it. “How do I get myself into these situations?” He asked himself as he started down the hallway. “I should be writing symphonies, not tagging along after some headstrong teenager.” He saw Dan and Tyler sneak off down some corridor and followed them closely. “What is that boy doing?”

Dan had walked into a part of the cave that was occupied by no one, Tyler tagging along after him. This was Dan’s favorite place to clear his head, surrounded by all of his human knick-knacks. Of course, no one knew about it beside him and Tyler. It was a kind of safe space. “Dan?” Tyler asked gently, breaking Dan out of his thoughts.

“If only I could make him understand,” Dan started, sitting on a rock. Tyler sat down next to him. “I just don't see things the way he does.” Tyler nodded in understanding. “I don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things,” Dan paused and smiled as he grabbed a human object from his shelf, “could be bad.”

PJ came storming into the room. Dan gasped as he did, jumping in front of his precious collection of human knick-knacks. “PJ?!” He called with the same intensity as a teenage girl who had just been walked in on by her father.

“Daniel?!” PJ called in the same tone. Tyler gulped at the reaction he was sure was coming. Dan blushed furiously and his eyes moved between his best friend and no guardian. “How could you-” PJ spluttered. “What is all of this?”

“It’s, uh,” Dan stopped as he looked over all of the knick-knacks. “It’s my collection,” he finally tried. Tyler nodded furiously, as if his nodding would make PJ more willing to believe the story.

“Oh,” PJ said mockingly. “I see. It’s your collection,” he said, an emphasis on the last word. Dan and Tyler nodded in unision. PJ yelled angrily, “If your father knew about this place, he’d-”

“You’re not gonna tell him, are you?” Tyler cut in, blushing when he realized that he had cut off the composer halfway through his sentence.

Dan gasped. “Oh, please PJ, he would never understand.”

PJ sighed. “Daniel, you’re under a lot of pressure down here.” He reached out to grab the teenager’s arm. “Come, I'll take you home and get you something warm to drink.” Just as PJ finished his sentence, a large ship passed by overhead. Dan gasped as he saw it.

“What do you suppose-” he muttered to himself before breaking out of his guardian’s grasp and swimming quickly to the surface. Tyler took off after her quickly.

“Daniel?” PJ called, standing still as if they would obey him. “Daniel, get back here this instant!”

As Dan and Tyler reached the ship, they saw fireworks exploding from the top and erupting in the night sky. They watched, in a trance. Suddenly, a dog walked past them. They ducked under the water, still able to see the ship.

Phil laughed and whistled. “Kanye, here boy!” He called. He smiled as the dog walked over to him. He pet his head, laughing again as the dog wagged his tail and barked his approval. “Hey, come on, mutt, whatcha doing, huh Kanye?” He chuckled softly. “Good boy.”

Dan raised his head from under the water to look at the man. He was utterly gorgeous. He had black hair that was swept to the side, part of it falling into his eye as he played with the dog. His bright blue eyes, as blue as the sea, shone with passion and happiness. He was overall very pale, but seemed to be aglow with life, his cheeks flushed and his body straight. His smile was radiant, blinding, his tongue poking between his teeth as he did so. Dan was certain he had never been so in love. And so grounded if his dad were to ever find out about it.

Suddenly, Zoe was beside Dan. “Hey there, sweetie!” She yelled, startling Dan. “Quite a show, eh?”

“Zoe, be quiet!” Dan whispered harshly, looking over to Phil and the dog, who had fortunately not heard either of them. “They’ll hear you.”

“Oh,” She said with a firm nod. “I gotcha, I gotcha.” Dan sighed in relief. Then, Zoe spoke again, “We’re being intrepidatious.” She cleared her throat before yelling, “WE’RE OUT TO DISCOVER-”

Dan slapped a hand over her mouth before Zoe got the idea. When she stopped screaming, Dan slowly lowered his hand and turned his attention to the man on the ship. Tyler did the same. Dan sighed dreamily. Tyler tilted his head in confusion. “I've never seen a human this close before.” Dan smiled at the man. “Oh,” he whispered, “he's very handsome, isn't he?”

Zoe tilted her head as she looked at Kanye. “I dunno, he looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Not that one,” he said. He pointed to Phil, standing tall and straight. “That one.”

Chris walked out onto the deck, followed by some crew members rolling a large object draped with a sheet. “Silence, silence!” He called. Everyone on the deck hushed. Dan, Tyler, and Zoe watched on silently. “It is now my honour and privilege to present our esteemed Prince Philip with a very special,” he turned to the crew, “very expensive,” he motioned to the object, “very large birthday present.”

Phil smiled at the speech. “Aw, Chris, y'old beanpole, you shouldn't have.”

“I know,” Chris replied. Phil laughed at that. “Happy birthday, Phil!” The crew whisked the sheet off of the object to reveal a very large statue of Phil.

Phil looked it over, his brow furrowed. “Wow, Chris,” he said, laughing awkwardly. Chris stood smiling at him, waiting for some kind of reply. “It’s really,” he searched his brain for a word, “really something.”

Chris smiled at the statue, “Yes, I had it commissioned myself.” He gave Phil an awkward chuckle. “Of course, I was hoping that it would be a wedding present.”

Phil rolled his eyes, “Come on, Chris,” he said, sitting on a box. Chris sat down next to him. “Look, you're not still sore because I didn't fall for the princess of Glauerhaven, are you?”

“Oh Phil,” Chris said, rubbing Phil’s arm comfortingly. “It isn’t just me. The entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl. Or guy. Whatever.”

Phil smiled sadly at his best friend. “Well, they’re out there somewhere,” he assured Chris. “I just,” he paused. How could he explain that he was waiting for the true love that his mum read to him in stories? “I just haven't found them yet.”

“Well,” Chris started. “perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough.”

Phil scoffed at that. “Believe me, Chris, when I find them I'll know. Without a doubt.” All of the stories that his mum read him surfaced. He would look into the eyes of his one true love and see eyes that he’d seen many times before, and they would instantly click and his heart would hurt and they would dance and when they kissed, it would be electric. “ It'll just, bam!” his sudden loud outburst startled the rest of the crew. “hit me,” he searched his brain for the proper term. “like lightning!” As if the weather was waiting for a cue from the prince, a clap of lightning hit close to the ship, thunder rolling through the sky. The sky turned gray and wind started to whip on them, rain falling in hard splats onto the wood.

“Hurricane a'comin’!” The lead sailor called. The entire crew started to run, each performing different tasks. “Stand fast!” he called, “Secure the riggin'!”

“Woah!” Zoe called. “The wind's all of a sudden on the move here!” Losing a hold on the ship, she was blown away with the wind. “Dan!” She called as she went.

The lightning hit the wood, igniting the entire ship. Phil’s eyes grew wide as he spotted a rock, “lookout!” He called, but it was too later. Everyone was thrown overboard except for Chris. “Chris!” Phil called when he surfaced, “Hang out!” His breath caught in his throat when he saw Kanye on the deck with Chris. “Kanye!” He yelled.

Phil swam over to the dog, who was on a shaking piece of board. “Jump Kanye! Come on boy, jump! You can do it Kanye,” he coaxed the dog, who jumped off of the ship and started to swim to shore. Just as he did, the board broke, hitting Phil over the head and knocking him over.

“Phil!” Chris called as he was finally thrown from the ship.

Dan went into action quickly then. He swam over quickly to Phil, grabbing the young prince by his shirt collar. Tyler was lost somewhere among the sea, but Dan didn’t even care as he brought the sailor to safety. He finally reached the beach, making sure that Phil’s head was above the sea. He watched the prince from the front of the shore.

“Is he,” Dan could hardly find the words to continue his statement as Tyler and Zoe swam up to him. The storm had calmed sometime during the rescue. “Is he dead?” He choked.

Zoe huffed, moving closer to Phil. “It’s hard to say,” she explained as she opened his eyelid. She put her head against Phil’s foot and shook her head. “I-I can’t make out a heartbeat.”

Dan felt his throat close as his eyes welled with tears. Suddenly, Phil’s sleeping form took a large gasp of air. “Look!” Dan announced. Zoe backed up and sat on a rock. “He’s breathing!” Dan sighed, love-stricken as he watched the man on the beach. “He’s so beautiful.”

Dan rebelliously reached out and moved a strand of hair from Phil’s face, humming a lullaby that his mother used to sing to him as a child.

Suddenly, there were loud calls of, “Phil!” Dan’s eyes widened and he and Tyler quickly swam away.

“Phil!” Chris called at the sight of his friend, Kanye in tow. Phil slowly blinked awake, leaning against his hands for support. “There you are,” Chris said, sitting next to his best friend. “You really delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure, don't you?”

“A man rescued me,” Phil said groggily. Chris raised his eyebrows in question. “He-” Phil put a hand to his head. “He was singing!” Phil smiled dreamily into the distance, “he had the most beautiful voice.”

“Ah, Phil,” Chris laughed uncomfortably. “I think you’ve swallowed just a little too much sea water, my friend.” He helped the protesting prince onto his feet. “Off we go. Come along, Kanye.”

Meanwhile, under the ocean, PJ was pacing back and forth in Dan’s bedroom as the brunette watched. Tyler watched, his anxiousness quickly matching PJ’s. Dan rolled his eyes. He really should set them up sometime. “We just have forget this whole thing ever happened,” PJ said quickly, by means of a plan. “The sea king will never know.” Dan nodded. “I won’t tell him. You won’t tell him.” PJ pointed a finger at Dan. Dan raised his hands in defense, as if to say that he had no intention of telling his father. “Everything will be okay.”

Nash, who had been watching the scene unfold using his crystal ball, laughed. “Oh, no no no,” he said, though there was a smile on his face. “I can't stand it. It's too easy! The child is in love with a human.” He laughed in delight. “And not just any human, he’s in love with a prince!” He smiled at the ball. “Oh, his daddy will love this. King Triton's headstrong, lovesick boy would make a charming addition to my little garden.”

“Daniel!” Andrina called towards Dan’s room. “It’s time to come out of there! You’ve been in there all morning.”

Dan emerged from the bathroom, singing to himself. He smiled at the sight of Adrina. “Good morning, sister!” He greeted, kissing the top of her head before swimming towards his father.

“What is with him lately?” Atina whispered to her sisters. The remaining five girls shrugged.

“Good morning, daddy,” Dan greeted his father as he passed by. Then, with a smile and a soft song on his lips, he skipped away.

Atina smirked at her sisters. “Oh, I know,” she said in reply to their smiles. “He’s got it bad.”

“What?” The king asked as he approached his daughters. “What’s he got?”

Adriana rolled her eyes, still smiling along with the rest of her sisters. “Isn’t it obvious, daddy?” She asked. When the king shook his head, she elaborated, “Daniel’s in love!”

“Daniel?” King Howell asked, his tone shocked. “In love?”

Meanwhile, in the royal dining room, PJ was once again pacing. Dan sat on a table, smiling, his legs swinging over the side. He was picking petals off of a flower, obviously not paying attention to his mentor. “Alright,” PJ started. “We’re doing well so far. I don’t think that the king knows.” He shook his head. “It will not be easy to keep this a secret for very long.”

“He loves me,” Dan chanted as he plucked off a petal. “He loves me not.” He picked off the last petal and smiled. “He loves me! I knew it!”

PJ rolled his eyes at the teenager’s foolishness. “Daniel, please,” he said, turning to the boy. “Stop talking crazy.”

“I gotta see him again,” Dan said, leaning onto his knees, the stem from the petal still in his hands. He gasped in glee. “Tonight! Zoe knows where he lives!”

PJ’s eyes grew wide. “But down here is your home, Daniel!” Dan rolled his eyes as the composer started off on another tangent, not looking over at him. “Listen to me. The human world,” he spluttered. “It’s a mess.  Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there.”

Dan took the opportunity to swim off. PJ turned to the table where Dan was, sighing softly as he realized the boy was gone. A member of the king’s cabinet swam in. “Excuse me, sir?” He asked. “I’ve been looking for you all over,” he said with a soft sigh. “The sea king wishes to speak with you, sir.”

“Me?” PJ asked, his voice going high.

“Yessir,” the cabinet member replied. “Something about Daniel.” And with that, he turned and swam out.

PJ felt his breath catch in his throat. He slowly made his way down the hallway, each step feeling like it may be his last. He finally made his way to the king’s throne room. He took a deep breath before stepping inside, “Yes, your highness?”

“Now, PJ,” The king said, turning to the composer. PJ felt like passing out on the spot, but decided to play it cool. “I'm concerned about Daniel. Have you noticed he's been acting peculiar lately?”

PJ laughed nervously, and way too loudly. “Peculiar?” He asked, his voice going high.

“You know,” The king started. “-moaning about, daydreaming, singing to himself,” He looked PJ over strangely. “You really haven’t noticed huh?”

“Well,” PJ tried. He cleared his throat, suddenly unable to speak.

“PJ,” King Howell started. PJ hummed in question. “I know you’ve been keeping something from me.”

“Me?” PJ asked. “Keeping,” he laughed awkwardly as he looked for a word. “Something? Me, keeping something?”

“About Daniel?” The king tried.

“Daniel?” PJ asked, as if he had never even met the king’s son, as if he hadn’t been chasing him for weeks. “Daniel?”

“In love,” the king elaborated.

That’s when PJ broke, his voice loud and high as he quickly answered. “I tried to stop him, sire! He just wouldn't listen! I told him to stay away from humans. They are bad, they are trouble, they-”

“Humans?” The king asked. His face turned red with his anger. “What about humans?”

PJ gulped before awkwardly laughing. “Humans?” He asked. “What about-” the angry look on the king’s face made him immediately cut off his sentence, giving a quiet, “-humans.”

Meanwhile, Tyler was leading Dan into a cave. Dan laughed as he followed his best friend through a series of intricate twists and turns. “Ty, can’t you just tell me where we’re going?” He asked.

“It’s a surprise!” Tyler urged as he brought Dan over to where he wanted him. Once he had Dan’s attention, he pulled a sheet, revealing a giant statue of Phil. It was very childlike, obviously made in a rush, but Dan gasped in admiration nonetheless.

“Oh, Tyler,” he said reverently, reaching out to touch it. “It’s so lifelike.” He smiled at his best friend. “You’re the best, you’re the best! It even has his eyes!” He said loudly. Tyler rolled his eyes, though he was smiling. Dan swam over the statue and pretended to swoon. “Why Phil, run away with you? This is all so sudden,” he turned to face his best friend and gasped as he was met with his father. “Father!”

“I consider myself a reasonable man,” The king said slowly, dangerously. Dan’s eyes widened in terror. “I set certain rules, and I expect you to follow them.”

“But dad-”

“Is there a reason that you saved that-” the king scoffed, “human from drowning?”

“Dad, I had to!” Dan defended, though it sounded weak even to his ears.

“Contact between the human world and the mer-world is strictly forbidden. Dan, you know that!” He scoffed again. “Hell, everyone knows that!”

“He would have died,” Dan attempted to explain.

The king laughed softly at the argument. “One less human to worry about!”

Dan gasped in shock, stepping towards his father. “You don't even know him.”

The king rolled his eyes. “Know him?” He asked. “I don't have to know him. They're all the same. Spineless, savage, harpooning, fish-eaters, incapable of feeling-”

“I love him!” Dan screamed. An eerie silence fell over the cave. Tyler stood behind Dan, his mouth hanging open in shock. Dan had know idea where those words had come from, but they sounded right once he said them. Like they belonged.

The king shook his head, backing up from his son. “No,” he said softly. “Have you lost your senses completely?” He said louder. “He's a human, you're a mermaid!”

“I don’t care,” Dan answered simply.

“So help me Daniel,” the king started. “I am going to get through to you. And if this is the only way, so be it.” With that, he started to destroy all of the human artifacts. Dan screamed in horror, held back by Tyler. The king knocked the giant statue of Phil over, and it fell with a crash, shattering into millions of pieces.

Dan gasped, his hands reaching out to cover his mouth. “How dare you?” He asked softly.

“Daniel, I didn’t mean to-”

“Get out,” Dan demanded. The king bowed his head in shame, leaving the room. Dan’s tears fell as soon as he did, collapsing onto a chair. Tyler sat down next to him. “You too, Ty,” he said softly. Tyler smiled sadly at Dan before leaving the room.

Austin and Aaron quietly snuck into the room, snickering to themselves before facing Dan. “Poor child,” Austin said softly.

Dan jumped at the sudden voice, looking towards the two of them. “Poor, sweet child,” Aaron continued.

“He has a very serious problem,” Austin observed, stepping behind the mermaid. Dan looked between them both, very confused.

“If only there was something that we could do,” Aaron cooed softly, ruffling the young princes hair.

“But there is something,” Austin said, smiling up at his companion.

“Who are you?” Dan asked softly, his voice almost reverent at the sight of the two well spoken, observant strangers.

Aaron laughed softly. “Don’t be scared,” he said, his eyes wide and friendly.

“We represent someone who can help you,” Austin continued.

“Someone who can make all your dreams come true,” Aaron continued in a hushed voice.

“Just imagine,” Austin said, his hands reaching above Dan’s head and swooping out as if to create a mental picture.

“You,” Aaron pointed to Dan. “And your prince,”

“Together,” Austin said, bringing his hands together.

“Forever,” they repeated, eerily in sync.

Dan shook his head as he broke out of their spell. “I-I don’t understand,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“Nash has great powers,” Aaron said, a small shrug to accompany his words.

“The sea witch?” Dan asked, his voice shocked. He had his father tell him the story of his mother’s death enough times to know not to trust the sea witch. “Why, that's-” he shook his head. “No, I couldn’t possibly-” he tried again. “Get out of here! Leave me alone!”

“Suit yourself,” Austin continued, walking towards the entrance to the door.

“It was only a suggestion,” Aaron said in sing-song, pushing the broken face of the statue towards Dan.

Dan sighed as he looked at the broken face of his prince. He picked it up and felt his eyes well with tears. “Wait.”

Austin and Aaron stopped from their place in the doorway and smiled at each other. “Yes?” They asked in sync.

Tyler and PJ sat outside of the cave. Tyler was sniffling softly and PJ had an awkward hand on his back. “Poor Dan,” Tyler said softly.

“I didn’t mean to tell, it was an accident,” PJ defended. Tyler nodded in understanding, leaning against the composer. Suddenly, Dan passed by, followed by Austin and Aaron. “Daniel, where are you going?”

Dan turned to them. “I’m going to see Nash Grier,” he said simply.

PJ gasepd, quickly sitting up. “Daniel, no!” He said. “He’s a demon! He’s a monster!”

“Why don’t you go tell my father?” Dan snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. “You seem to be good at that.”

“But I, but I,” PJ spluttered. Dan took the opportunity to swim away.

“By the way,” Austin said, smirking at PJ and Tyler. “You both make an adorable couple.”

PJ and Tyler blushed, quickly separating from each other. “Come on,” PJ said as Austin and Aaron followed Dan. “Let’s go.”

The way to Nash’s kingdom was long and dark. Dan tried to be brave in front of the two henchmen, but they would occasionally look at him and laugh, snickering to each other as if they knew something that he didn’t. “This way,” they said once they had reached the doors to the sea witch’s throne room.

Dan pushed open the doors and gasped at the amount of skulls covering the walls. “Come in, come in my child. We mustn't stand in doorways.” Nash urged. Dan stepped through and gasped again as Austin and Aaron closed the door behind him. “Now, then. You're here because you have a thing for this human. This, er, prince fellow.” Dan blushed and nodded. Nash cooed softly, standing from his throne. “Not that I blame you, he is quite a catch, isn't he?” Dan blushed harder, looking at the floor. “Well, angel fish, the solution to your problem is simple. The only way to get what you want-” he paused, smirking at Dan. “-is to become human yourself.”

Dan’s eyes widened. He had never even thought of such a thing, but now that Nash suggested it, well. “You can do that?”

“My poor, sweet child,” Nash cooed, grabbing her hands. “That’s what I do.” He chuckled softly. “It’s what I live for.” He smiled toothily at Dan. “Now, here's the deal. I will make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days. Got that?” Dan nodded, on the edge of his seat. “Now listen, this is important. Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get dear ol' princey to fall in love with you. That is, he's got to kiss you. Not just any kiss, the kiss of true love.” Dan gasped softly. PJ and Tyler watched from a corner. “If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain human, permanently, but,” He hummed softly. “if he doesn't, you turn back into a mermaid, and,” He turned back to Dan. “You belong to me.”

“No, Daniel!” Tyler screamed. Austin and Aaron put a hand over his mouth.

“Have we got a deal?” Nash asked with a smile.

“If I become human, I'll never be with my father or sisters again,” Dan said anxiously.

“That’s right,” Nash nodded. “But you’ll have your man.” He laughed softly. “Life’s full of tough choices, innit?” His smile grew. “Oh,” he started. “and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know.”

Dan looked at the floor. “But I don’t have any-”

Nash held a hand up to silence him. “I’m not asking for much,” He said. “ Just a token, really, a trifle. You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is,” he looked over at Austin and Aaron before finishing, “your voice.”

“My voice?” Dan asked softly.

“You've got it, sweetcakes,” Nash said with a smile.

“But,” Dan started. “Without my voice, how can I-”

“You'll have your looks! Your pretty face!” He reached toward and pinched Dan’s cheeks. “And don't underestimate the importance of-” he slapped Dan’s bum, earning a gasp from the mermaid. “-body language!” Dan bit his lip before signing the contract in Nash’s hands. The witch laughed in delight. “Now then,” He said. He said a soft spell, a long exhale of breath coming from Dan’s body. The mermaid fell to the ground with a gasp, his tail turning into legs. Tyler and PJ gasped before rushing him to the surface.

Phil was walking the beach by himself, Kanye trailing behind him.. “That guy,” Phil said with a sigh. “ I can't get him out of my head. I've looked everywhere, Kanye. Where could he be?”

Behind a rock, Dan sat looking at his new legs. Tyler and PJ sat in the sea, panting heavily. Zoe flew over to them and smiled. “Well, look at what the catfish dragged in!” She scratched her head. “There's something different. Don't tell me, I got it. It's your hairdo, right? You've been using the dinglehopper, right?” Dan shook his head, pointing to his legs. “No? I gotta admit I can't put my foot on it right now, but if I just stand here long enough I know that I'll-”

“He’s got legs, you idiot!” PJ screamed. Tyler jumped at the sudden noise. “He traded his voice to the sea witch and got legs.” He sighed, “Jesus, man.”

“I knew that,” Zoe said with a blush.

“Dan’s been turned into a human,” Tyler started. “He’s gotta make the prince fall in love with him, and he's gotta ki-” he choked on the words. “-kiss him.”

“And he's only got three days. Just look at him. On legs. On human legs!” PJ added. He put a hand to his face. “My nerves are shot. This is a catastrophe! What would his father say?” he laughed nervously. “I'll tell you what his father would say, he'd say he's gonna kill himself a crab, that's what he’d say! I'm gonna march meself straight home right now and tell him just like I shoulda done the minute-” Dan grabbed at him to hold him back. “All right, all right. I'll try to help you find that prince. Boy. What a softie I'm turning out to be.”

“Now, Daniel, I'm tellin' ya, if you wanna be a human the first thing you gotta do is dress like one. Now lemme see.” Zoe was busy fanning over Dan’s appearance as Phil and Kanye stepped closer. Smelling the new human, Kanye took off towards him.

“Kanye?” Phil called. “Kanye!”

Zoe whistled. “Wow, kid. You look sensational.”

Dan smiled as Kanye ran up to him. Zoe and Tyler ducked for cover as Dan reached a tentative hand out to the dog. “Kayne!” Phil called. Dan’s eyes grew wide at the sound of his prince approaching. “What’s gotten into-” he stopped as he noticed Dan. “Oh, I see.” He sat next to the new human. “Hey, are you alright?” Dan nodded slowly. “I’m sorry if this knucklehead scared you.” He laughed at the dog who was licking his face. Dan tried to laugh, but no sound came out. “You look familiar to me.” He gasped. “It’s you! You saved me! What’s your name?” Dan tried to tell him his name, but found that he couldn’t speak. “Oh. You don’t talk, huh?” Dan shook his head slowly. Phil bit his lip. “Guess it’s not you.” Dan shook his hands frantically. “Are you hurt?”

Dan tried to stand, but found that he was wobbly on his new legs. He immediately collapsed, the young prince catching him. “Woah, careful. You’re okay.” He sighed. “Gee, you must have really been through something. Don't worry, I'll help you.”

With shaky, tentative steps, Dan and Phil made their way to Phil’s castle. Phil quickly explained the situation to Bethany, one of the servants, who took Dan by the hand and brought him to a bath. “Washed up from a shipwreck. Oh, the poor thing.” She smiled. “We'll have you feeling better in no time.”

In the kitchen, two women were talking. “Well you must have at least heard about this guy.”

The other woman shook her head. “Gretchen said he’s lovely, but what does she know, really? I mean, this guy shows up in rags and doesn’t speak,” She laughed softly. “Not a prince, if you ask me.”

“I agree,” the first woman said. “If Phil’s looking for someone to marry, he should marry someone in the kingdom. I mean, my girls are available.”

Chris sighed, sitting next to Phil in the dining room. “Oh, Phil, be reasonable,” he pleaded. Phil rolled his eyes. “Nice young men just don't-” he shook his head. “-swim around rescuing people in the middle of the ocean and then flutter off into oblivion, like some-”

“I’m telling you Chris,” Phil cut his friend off. “He was real! I'm gonna find him,” he sighed dreamily,”and I'm gonna marry him.”

Chris laughed as Beth walked into the room. She frowned at the door. “Come on honey. Don't be shy.” Dan entered in a suit, his hair pushed back and washed.

Chris stopped laughing and smiled. “Well, aren’t you a vision?”

Phil felt his breath catch in his throat. “You look,” He smiled. “wonderful.”

“Come, you must be starving,” Chris brought Dan over to a seat. The new human sat tentatively. “There, comfy?” Dan nodded. He took a fork and started brushing through his hair. When Chris and Phil gave him odd looks, Dan put the fork down, his whole body turning red. Chris pulled out a pipe and Dan brightened at the sight of it. “Do you like it?” Dan nodded, taking it from where Chris offered. “Yes, it’s-”

Dan blew the pipe, ash flying into Chris’ face.

Phil gave a loud laugh. Dan blushed, putting the pipe down. “S-sorry, Chris,” Phil said, wiping tears from his eyes.

Beth smiled at the two of them. “Why, Phil, that’s the first time I’ve seen you laugh in weeks.”

“Yes,” Chris said, wiping the ash from his eyes. “Very amusing.” Phil chuckled again. Dan gave a small smile at the sound. “Beth, what’s for dinner?”

“You're gonna love it,” She assured them. “Chef's been fixing his specialty, stuffed crab.”

“You know, Phil,” Chris said, pouring himself a glass of wine. He took a small sip. “Perhaps our young guest might enjoy seeing some of the sights of the kingdom. Something in the way of a tour?”

“What are you talking about?” Phil asked.

“You can't spend all your time moping about, you need to get out. Do something, have a life,” Chris muttered. Phil sighed and rolled his eyes. “Get your mind off of-”

“Alright, alright,” Phil said with a soft laugh. “It's not a bad idea. Well, what do you say? Would you like to join me on a tour of my kingdom tomorrow?” Dan nodded vigorously and Phil laughed again. “Good. Now that that’s settled, let’s eat!”

Later that night, Phil was roughhousing with Kanye and Dan was watching. The dog was chasing Phil in circles, his tail wagging, and Phil was laughing. When he spotted Daniel, he waved. Dan blushed a dark red, retreating back to his room.

PJ sat in the room, pacing. “This has got to be, without a doubt, the single most humiliating day of my life. I hope you appreciate what I go through for you, young man,” He sighed. “Now, we got to make a plan to get that boy to kiss you. Tomorrow, when he takes you for that ride, you gotta look your best.” When he turned to look at Dan, he found that the boy was already asleep. “You are hopeless, you know that?” He muttered to himself. “Completely hopeless.”

Meanwhile, under the sea, a member of the king’s cabinet swam up to him. “Have you found them?”

“No sir,” the man reported. “There’s no sign of your son or PJ.”

“Well, keep looking. Leave no shell unturned, no coral unexplored. Let no one in this kingdom sleep until he's safe at home.” The member of the cabinet nodded and swam away. The king leaned against his knees, his head in his hands. “Oh, Daniel. What have I done?”

Tyler and PJ were trailing Dan and Phil throughout their tour of the castle, as they had been for hours. “Has he kissed him yet?” Tyler asked as the couple passed by the water.

“Not yet,” PJ replied with a sigh.

After Dan and Phil went dancing and for a tour around the town, Tyler, PJ, and Zoe regrouped. “Yo, Ty!” Zoe called. “Any kissing?”

“No,” Tyler replied with a sigh. “Not yet.”

“They better get cracking,” PJ said. The three of them sighed in tandem.

The day ended with Dan and Phil on a boat, slowly floating through the lagoon. “Move, move,” Tyler said to Zoe. “Move your big feathers, I can’t see anything.”

“Nothing is happening,” Zoe reported, turning to Tyler. “Only one day left, and that boy ain't puckered up once.”

“You know, I feel really bad for not knowing your name,” Phil said to Dan. They were sitting across from each other, glasses of wine in their hands, sipping it slowly. “Maybe I could guess?” Dan nodded quickly. “Alright. Gertrude? Dominique?”

“Dan,” PJ whispered from behind Phil.

“Dan?” Phil tried. Dan nodded quickly and Phil chuckled. “Alright, that’s kind of cool. It’s nice to meet you, Dan.”

Dan smiled at that and waved to Phil. “You know,” the prince said, scooting closer to Dan. “You have the most beautiful eyes.” He took a hand and moved Dan’s hair out of the way. Dan lowered his head in embarrassment and Phil tilted it back up with two fingers.

Austin and Aaron, who had been watching the encounter, panicked. They turned to each other and with one look exchanged an idea. They shot the boat with a magic zap, the whole thing tilting onto its side. “Woah!” Phil called, grabbing Dan’s waist. “I got you, I got you.”

Nash laughed as Austin and Aaron walked back into his cave. “Nice work, boys. That was a close one. Too close. The little tramp!” He groaned. “Oh, he's better than I thought. At this rate, he'll be kissing him by sunset for sure. Well, it's time Nash took matters into his own tentacles!” He gave a maniacal laugh. “Triton's son will be mine, and then I'll make him writhe. I'll see him wriggle like a worm on a hook!” With another laugh, he turned into a beautiful human with Dan’s voice.

Meanwhile, Phil was sitting on a pier, watching Dan play with Kanye. Chris sat down next to him. “Phil, if I may say, far better than any dream man, is one of flesh and blood, one warm and caring, and right before your eyes.” Phil shook his head as he watched Dan. Suddenly, he heard the soft lullaby Dan had sung to him when he rescued the prince from the water. He looked up and saw the most gorgeous man he had ever seen in his life, and was immediately smitten.

In the morning, Zoe flew in through the window, to where Dan and PJ were quietly conversing. “Dan!” She screamed. “Dan, I just heard the news. Congratulations, kiddo, we did it!”

PJ turned to her before looking back at Dan. “What is this idiot babbling about?”

“Right, as if you two didn't know, uh?” Zoe laughed at their blank expressions. “The whole town's buzzin' about the prince gettin' himself hitched this afternoon! You know, he's getting married! You silly sidewalker!” She laughed again. “I just wanted to wish you luck. I'll catch you later, I wouldn't miss it!”

Dan’s entire expression brightened and he ran downstairs. His face fell as he saw Phil with his arm wrapped around some guy. “Oh, hey, Dan,” he said with a smile. “I’d like you to meet my fiance, Connor.” The man in question smirked and waved.

“Well, Phil,” Chris said, stepping past Dan’s shocked form. “It appears that I was mistaken. This mystery man of yours does, in fact exist. And she is lovely. Congratulations, my dear.”

Phil smiled at Connor before turning back to Chris. “We wish to be married as soon as possible.”

“Oh yes, of course. But, uh, Phil, but these things do take time, you know-”

“This afternoon, Chris,” Phil said, cutting his best friend off. “The wedding ship departs at sunset.”

“As you wish,” Chris replied with a soft sigh. Dan, who had been watching the whole encounter, slapped a hand over his face before running off, crying hysterically.

Later that afternoon, Zoe was flying by the ship that Phil and Connor were to get married on. She spotted Connor fixing his bowtie and talking to himself in the mirror. “What a lovely little groom I'll make,” he said, smiling at his reflection, where his true self was. “Soon I'll have that little mermaid and the ocean will be mine!”

Zoe gasped as she saw Nash in the mirror. “The sea witch! Oh no!” She flew quickly to find Dan, who had been sitting on the beach and crying bitterly. “I was flying, I wa - of course I was flying - An' - I s- I saw that the watch - the witch was watchin' a mirror, and he was singin' with a stolen set o' pipes! Do you hear what I'm tellin' you?” When Dan shook his head, Zoe shouted, “Phil’s gonna marry the sea witch in disguise!”

“Are you sure about this?” PJ asked.

Zoe rolled her eyes. “Have I ever been wrong?” When Tyler took in a breath to start, she clarified, “I mean when it's important!”

“What are we going to do?” Tyler asked, his voice panicked.

Dan gasped as he looked up at the sun, which was slowly setting. He jumped into the water but found that he couldn’t swim well. PJ threw a barrell and Dan grabbed on. “Dan, grab on to that. Ty, get him to that boat as fast as your fins can carry you!” PJ commanded. Tyler nodded before racing off with Dan towards the boat. “I've gotta get to the sea king. He must know about this.”

“What about me?” Zoe asked with wide eyes.

“You must find a way to stall that wedding,” PJ commanded. With that, he was racing off to find King Howell before it was all too late.

“Stall the wedding,” Zoe contemplated. Suddenly, she came up with an idea. She rallied all of the sea animals she could find. “Alright people, move it!” She called. “We have a real emergency here!”

Meanwhile, there was a wedding in progress. Kanye was standing next to Connor and growled at him, knowing something was up. Connor smiled uncomfortable and kicked the dog. “Yes, um, do you Philip, take Connor, to be your lawfully wedded husband, for as long as you both shall live?” The priest asked.

Phil smiled at Connor, lovesick. “I do.”

“And do y-” Suddenly, a multitude of animals swooped in, causing great chaos. People started to scream and run away, but Connor motioned for the priest to keep going. “then by the power inves-”

A group of birds surrounded Connor then, causing him to freak out. “Get away from me you slimy little-” He groaned. “Oh, why you little-” In the struggle, the shell containing Dan’s voice fell and it was brought back to the former mermaid, who was standing at the back of the aisle.

“Phil!” He called out.

“Dan?” Phil asked. “You can talk. You’re the one!” He laughed and moved towards him, only to be held back by Connor. “Phil, get away from him.”

“Phil,” Dan said with smile, moving closer to him. “Oh Phil, I wanted to tell you.” Just as they were almost to each other, the sun set and Dan fell to the floor, his legs replaced by fins. Connor turned back into Nash, a wicked smile on his face. “You're too late! You're too late! So long, loverboy.” And with that, they were gone.

“Poor little prince,” Nash called, bringing Dan towards his lair. Dan struggled against him, to no avail. “It's not you I'm after. I've a much bigger fish to-”

Suddenly, the king was in front of them. “Nash, stop,” he commanded in lieu of a greeting.

“Hello, Howell,” Nash said with a smirk.

“Let my son go,” the king commanded, his expression cold and dangerous.

“Not a chance, Howell!” Nash said with a wicked laugh. “He's mine now. We made a deal.” He pulled out the contract, Dan’s signature large on it.

“Daddy, I'm sorry!” Dan said. “I - I - I didn't mean to. I didn't know-”

The king tried to destroy the contract, but found that he could not. “You see? The contract's legal, binding and completely unbreakable, even for you.” He looked over the king. “Of course, I always was a man with an eye for a bargain. The son of the great sea king is a very precious commodity. But,” he smirked. “I might be willing to make an exchange for someone even better.”

Meanwhile, Phil was quickly rowing away from the ship. “Phil, what are you doing?” Chris called.

“I lost him once, Chris,” Phil replied, his voice determined. “I'm not going to lose him again.”

“Now,” Nash said, the smirk still on his face. “Do we have a deal?” The king sighed before signing a contract. “Ha! It’s done then.” He released Dan and handcuffed the king, who dropped his head in shame. Nash plucked the crown from his head and put it on his own. “It’s finally mine.”

“You monster!” Dan cried.

Nash turned to him with a dangerous look. “Don't fool with me you little brat!” He said, moving towards Dan who was backing up out of fear. “Contract or no-” He screamed as he was hit with a dart. He surfaced, bringing the king and Dan with him. He was met with Phil’s smirking face. “You little troll!”

“Phil, look out!” Dan called. Austin and Aaron went after Phil. Chris started to row the boat away, Phil trying, rather unsuccessfully, to shoot the henchmen.

“Say goodbye to your sweetheart!” Nash called as he prepared a bullet. Dan bumped him at the last minute, forcing him to shoot Austin and Aaron, who fell with a groan. “Babies! My poor, little poopsies!”

“You’ve got to get away from here,” Dan whispered to Phil, leaning over the side of his ship.

Phil grabbed Dan’s hands and squeezed them gently. “No,” he said, his voice determined. “I’m not going to leave you.”

Nash, who was now very large, laughed at the two of them. “You pitiful, insignificant, fool!” He yelled. “Now I am the ruler of all the ocean! The waves obey my every whim! The sea and all its spoils bow to my power!” He shot the water, creating a giant whirlpool.

“Phil!” Dan called as he fell into one of the whirlpools.

Nash laughed wickedly, attempting to shoot Dan. “So much for true love!” Just as he was about to shoot Dan, Phil rammed the ship into him, causing him to fall and die. There was a calm over the sea as he did, Dan surfacing with a longing glance to his prince.

In the morning, Phil was on the beach and Dan was watching him from a rock. Triton and PJ looked on. “He really does love this guy, doesn't he, Peej?”

“Well, it's like I always say, Your Majesty,” PJ started. “Children got to be free to lead their own lives.”

The king sighed. “Then I guess there's just one problem left.”

PJ hummed softly. “Hm?” he asked. “And what's that, Your Majesty?”

“How much I'm going to miss him.” The king turned Dan into a human. Dan gasped and hugged him tightly before running off to Phil.

“Dan?” Phil asked. “I-I don’t understand.”

“It’s okay, I’ll explain it all,” Dan said with a smile, wrapping his arms around Phil’s neck. “But first, there’s something I have to do.”

And with that, they shared the first of many true love’s kisses.

 


End file.
